Grain separator and cleaner



July 13, 1954 F. J. PAUL GRAIN SEPARATOR AND CLEANER Filed March 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l mmvron fieaeric/f J Pau/ Qua. M 147' 7' ORA f Y)- July 13, @954 F, P UL 2,683,533

GRAIN SEPARATOR AND CLEANER Filed March 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 13, 1954 GRAIN SEPARATOR AND CLEANER Frederick J. Paul, Fredonia, N. Y., assignor to llwlu tley Manufacturing Company, Brocton,

Application March 10, 1950, Serial No. 148,847

2 Claims.

This invention relates to grain cleaning and grading machines of the type which employ shaking screens for separating grain into several grades according to size; and air ducts for re moving therefrom light weight debris, such as dust, shucks, hulls, etc.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved machine of the class described which is of increased separating capacity and efiicienoy without corresponding increase of size of floor space requirement.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a machine of the class described an improved screen cleaning mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view through a machine of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line II-II of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section, along line III-III of Fig. 1.

In the drawing the machine is illustrated to comprise a stationary frame which includes uprights It and horizontal sills l2 supporting a pair of reciprocating shoes designated l4 and IS. The upper shoe is is suspended from the frame sills by means of leaf springs I8 and I9, and the lower shoe is supported from the frame by leaf springs Eli and 2|. Eccentrics 22 and 23 on a drive shaft 2d are connected to the shoes l4 and it respectively by connecting rods 25 and 26 for reciprocation of the shoes upon their spring mountings.

The shoe It includes coarse and fine inclined screens 3l3l formed of wire cloth or perforated sheet metal, or other suitable material; and the shoe it contains similar coarse and fine screens 32-33. The screens 39 and 32 are alike and the screens SI and 33 are alike in respect to the size of their perforations or mesh, so that the corresponding screens effect the same separation of grain supplied to them into two grades, of which the smaller grade passes through the perforations while the larger grade escapes over the tail end of each screen.

Thus, the machine includes a feed hopper 35 which receives the grain to be separated and y from which the grain passes into an ascending air duct 35 which is connected at its upper end with a separating hopper 3! from which air is drawn into the intake port 33 of a fan 49. Bafile boards 42-t3 control the paths of flow into the fan, and adjustable extensions 44 on the bafile boards and a valve 45 permit adjustment of the air separation operation.

The upper shoe M is provided with a feed splitting device 46 of the grizzly type which as shown in Fig. 3 comprises a series of spaced channels arranged to pass one half of the stream of grain falling thereon and to direct the other half to slide down through the channels onto a scalping screen 4"! carried by the top shoe [4. The grain passing through the splitting device 46 falls upon a similar scalping screen 48 carried by the bottom shoe I6, and thus the oversize debris scalped from the grain passes over the screens 4|48 into chutes 69-59 for disposal. The grain supplied to the feed hopper 35 of the machine, after passing through the preliminary air duct 36 is in this manner divided into two streams which are delivered first to the scalping screens 4'l48. The materials passing through the scalping screens falls upon the screens 36 and 32, and the materials passing therethrough fall upon the screens 33 and 33. Fines passing through the screens 3! and 33 then fall upon bot tom boards 52 and 54 which collect the smallest grade of grain passing through the device. The large grade of grain which escapes over the tail ends of the upper screens 30 and 32 passes through spouts 55 and 58 which lead laterally from the machine to any convenient point of collection. The grade of grain which is retained by the screens 3! and 33 is directed by channel 60 in the case of screw 3!, to slide down a chute 54. The finest size materials passing through the screens 31 and 33 and caught by the bottom boards 52 and 54 of the shoes are discharged therefrom through channels and 63.

An ascending air duct Iii is provided to receive at its lower end the grade of grain retained by the screens 3| and 33, and air is drawn up wardly through the air duct "iii by the fan at as regulated by a valve ?2 and the adjustable bafiie board M. The upper end of the air duct Til communicates with a separating hopper 74 which in turn communicates with the intake or the fan M3, and material collected in the hopper is removed by a conveyor '16. Material collected in the hopper 31 is removed by a conveyor it.

The arrangement of two like screening shoes, one below the other and both effecting similar grading of the separated feed, produces a grading and cleaning capacity approximately equal to that of a machine having twice the plan view dimensions of the machine of the invention without unduly increasing the height of the machine or the power required for running the machine.

As like grades of grain coming from both screening shoes are united before being subjected to the final air cleaning operation, the cleaning and grading machine is particularly desirable for handling grains such as rice preparatory to hull ing, but may of course also be employed for grading other grains or substances.

In order to maintain the screens 30, 3!, 32, 33 in efilcient screening condition, a pair of brush devices as indicated generally at 60 are arranged below each of the screen devices for movement therealong in order to continuously brush away any grains which tend to lodge in the meshes of the screen devices. As shown in more detail in Fig. 2, the brush devices each comprise an elongate bar 32 having brush bristles 86 extending upwardly therefrom for brushing contact with the under surface of the corresponding screen device; the bars 82 being engaged in each case by a yoke device 86 having jaws 8! gripping the bar at spaced positions therealong. To vertically support the brush. devices against the screen de ices, transverse rails 90 are provided to extend from opposite sides of the shoe struc tures so that the brush bars 82 are supported thereon at positions spaced longitudinally of the bars while being free to slide back and forth upon the rails til. Guide fingers 92'. extend from the brush bars to engage the rails 90 so as to maintain the brush bars in proper position upon the rails.

To motivate the brush bars back. and forth from side to side under the screen devices, the yoke members 8E are provided with couplings 8d which receive in connected relation therein endless flexible pull devices such as chains or cables arrange ior pulling the brush bars sidewise back and forth beneath the screens. Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, the brush bars under the screen 3-9 are connected to an endless chain or cable 95 training around guide devices such as sprockets or pulleys 9%, while the same chain-also connects to the coupling devices of the brush bars positioned below the second screen 3!. The couplings of the brush bars below the screen 32 also connect to a second endless chain 9'! which trains around idler sprockets 98 into similar connection with the brush bars under the screen The coupling devices of the brush bars under the screen 32 also connect to a third chain t9 which trains around sprockets tilt and into connection with the brush bars under the screen 33.

The couplings of the brush bars under the screen 33 also connect to a fourth chain 62 which trains around pulleys K23 into pivotal connection at Hi l to the ends of a pair of link ltd-52$, the other ends of which pivotally connect as indicated at Elli-iii? at spaced positions upon endless chain H3 which trains around sprockets iii-4&2. The sprocket H2 is driven by the output shaft of a gear device H 3 having a power input shaft H5 extending therefrom for connection to a suitable power source, such as a pulley H5 arranged to be driven by a belt H8 (Fig. l) coupl d to the machine drive mechanism.

shown in Fig. 2, the links tilt-4&5 are of such dimension and arranged so as to dispose the pull device connection point HM thereof along the center line of the sprockets iii-i i2, and thus it will be appreciated that as the sprocket H2 operates to drive the chain lie to run continuously in one direction, the link de vices iifil98 will thereby be carried to travel around an orbit defined. by the positions of the upper and lower strands of the chain and the outer peripheral portions of the sprockets IHH2; and that throughout such operation of the chain the connection point I04 of the link device will thereby describe a simple straightline reciprocatory movement from right to left and back again as viewed in Fig. 2. Thus, the pull member I92 is pulled upon by the connection point [04 to oscillate back and forth upon its idler pulley system, thereby pulling upon the brush bars below the screen 33 so as to move them-sidewise back and forth below thescreen, thereby applying thereto a vigorous brushing action throughout the entire bottom surface thereof. Inasmuch as the pull devices 99-91-95 are all interconnected with the pull member H32, they are simultaneously motivated by operation of the mechanism so as to provide similar brushing actions against the bottom surfaces of the screens 30, 3|, 32.

By mounting a pair of brushes under each of the screen devices as shown in Fig. 2, the parts may be conveniently arranged so that the range of brushing action of one brush overlaps the range of brushing action of its companion brush, thereby insurin complete coverage of the screen device. Also, this shortens the required stroke of the brushing action and thereby substantially contributes to the compactness of the machine and the operating mechanism. It is a particular feature of the driving link mechanism tale-466 that this linkage system avoids interference with free movement of the endless chain ill; around its mounting sprockets while at all times maintaining the connection point i 34 the driven pull member M2 to move undefiected in a straight line between the centers of the sprockets H!i i2; thereby eliminating variable speed or load effects and strains upon the mechanism such as might otherwise be encountered, and. thereby providing a uniformly smooth transmission of power from the continuously running chain Hi] to the reciprocating brush actuation system.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a plurality of first shaking screens of like mesh arranged one beneath the other, means for directing feed material in the form of divided streams to the head ends of said first screens, a second screen of different mesh arranged beneath each of said first screens in operative alignment therewith, and screen brush means disposed beneath each of said screens comprising a brush member mounte' below each of said screens for reciprocating movements therebelow, a first endless pull member coupled to each of the brush means associated with the uppermost first and second screens and training around first guide devices, a second endless pull member training around second guide devices and connected at one strand portion thereof to one strand portion of said first pull member and at another strand ortion thereof to the brush means associated with the lowermost first screen, a third endless pull member training around third guide devices and coupled to each of the brush means of the lowermost first and second screens, a fourth endless pull member training around fourth guide devices and connected at one strand portion thereof to one strand portion of said third pull member, and a drive mechanism for said pull members comprising an endless chain training around sprockets having their centers in alignment with a strand portion of said fourth pull member and arranged to be driven continuously in one direction, and a coupling device interconnecting one strand of said chain and said aligned pull member strand portion comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to said chain at spaced positions therealong and extending therefrom in convergent relation into a point of single pivotal connection with said aligned strand portion of said fourth pull member, said links being so dimensioned as to thereby dispose the point of pivotal connection with said fourth pull member to lie in a plane intersecting the center line between said chain sprockets.

2. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a plurality of shaking screens arranged one beneath the other, and screen brush means disposed beneath each of said screens, said screen brush means comprising a brush member mounted below each of said screens for reciprocating movements therebelow,

a first endless pull member coupled to each of said brush means and training around first guide devices, a second endless pull member training around second guide devices and connected at one strand portion thereof to one strand portion of said first pull member, said first and second pull members lying in substantially vertical planes, and a drive mechanism for said first and second pull members comprising an endless chain training around sprockets having their centers in alignment with a strand portion of said second pull member and arranged to be driven continuously in one direction, and a coupling device interconnecting one strand of said chain and said aligned pull member strand portion comprising a bipod device pivotally connected to said chain at two spaced positions therealcng and extending therefrom in convergent relation into a point of apex pivotal connection with said aligned strand portion of said second pull member, said bipod device being so dimensioned as to thereby dispose the point of apex pivotal connection with said second pull member to lie in a plane intersecting the center line between said chain sprockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 510,768 Bisbee Dec. '12, 1893 701,865 Ferrell June 10, 1902 755,073 Sturtevant Mar. 22 1904 755,330 Sturtevant Mar. 22, 1904 852,050 Barbeau Apr. 30, 1907 875,854 Scott Jan. '7, 1903 1,756,089 Hunter Apr. 29, 1930 2,510,741 Coon June 6, 1950 

